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Reflections  on  AS  – 
from  diagnosis  &  genetics to  future  research
  • Ellie Smith
  • WSGP
  • Children’s Hospital at Westmead, NSW, Australia
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phenotype
  •   Scoring system                      Williams et al., 1995
  •   A   Consistent  100%
  •          developmental delay -  functionally  severe
  •          speech impairment – minimal / no use words
  •          movement / balance disorder -  ataxic gait,
  •                   tremulous  movement of limbs
  •          behavioural uniqueness – laughter,
  •                  smiling, happy, excitable, hypermotoric,
  •                  short  attention  span.
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phenotype
  • Scoring system                      Williams et al., 1995
  • B  Frequent >80%
  •    delayed growth  –  ↓ head circumference
  •                        by 2 years of age
  •        seizures -  usually < 3 years
  •        abnormal EEG – large amplitude, slow-spike
  •                 waves (~2-3Hz) facilitated by eye closure


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phenotype
  • Scoring system                      Williams et al., 1995
  •  C    Associated (20-80%)
  •      flat occiput   flexed uplifted arm position
  •             tongue (protruding, poor suck)
  •             prognathia,  infantile  feeding  problems,
  •             wide mouth, widely spaced teeth,  drooling,
  •             strabismus,  pale skin,  sleep disturbance,
  •             fascination  with  water, ↑ heat  sensitivity
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5 classes of errors involving the critical region → AS
  • Deletion
  • UPD
  • IM  (IE,  ID)
  • UBE3A
  • Epigenetic


  • because of this complexity, many tests may be required for accurate diagnosis
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the common deletion
-  most  bet  BP1/BP2  and BP3
  • Usually between BP1 or 2 and BP3
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Imprinting defects
  •   patients  with  a  positive  methylation  test
  • but  non deleted  on FISH
  •        and with biparental inheritance
  •                     ie non disomic  on DNA
  • have an imprinting defect  -  definition
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PWS & AS in one family
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Ultimate Proof of Imprinting
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Ubiquitination
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              AS genetic mechanisms
              5 classes  -  summary
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reflections on AS
  • Phenotype
  •  I think the scoring system is good - but not used
  •  diagnosis is still delayed
  •  no single feature is diagnostic
  •  AS rare, while “difficult” babies are common



  • Need to increase awareness
  •     Good  ways to increase awareness     :  have a conference
  •                                                                    :  form  a society
  •                                                                    :  do research


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reflections on AS
  • Research
  •   Start  UBE3A  testing  on  our  Me- patients, currently not available in Australasia
  •   Collect data for comparisons of phenotype in different genetic classes
  •   Provide information on frequency of AS



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reflections on AS
  • Start an AS clinic  - provide information
  •   natural history ;
  •   treatment successes / failures  - eg melatonin for sleep, epilepsy medication;
  •   overlap with other syndromes ;
  •   response to certain therapies for communication ;
  •   better care
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future research
  • SNO RNAs   -  expression studies
  • Differences in del/UPD/ID   for   parameters  not yet looked for  eg endocrine pathways,  hypothalamus, hormones, sleep apnoea,  appetite control, temperature control
  • “Look alikes” – how many of them will have methylation negative AS ?
  • Mouse models and  epigenetics eg histones


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recent research in PWS
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Normal
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Trisomy Rescue
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Monosomy Duplication
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CVS - AF
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